LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team open Saturday's game by digging a deep hole from which it never could escape, falling to UC San Diego 84-61 in RIMAC Arena.

The Otters didn't score their first bucket until the game was 7:04 old. Not coincidentally, it was the last time the Otters got within nine points of the lead as the Tritons raced to a 43-21 halftime advantage and never looked back.

CSUMB got a career-high 16 points off the bench from sophomore forward Isaiah Smith (Vancouver, Wash./Columbia River HS). Alex Fertig (Fresno/Buchanan HS) added 11 points and Marquise Washington (Los Angeles/Cerritos College) chipped in 10.

The Otters return home to host a pair of must-win games next weekend when they host San Francisco State (Feb. 6) and Sonoma State (Feb. 7) in The Kelp Bed.